call of duty · retired soldier · foster parent · gruff exterior · protective · british accent · language barrier · military background · father figure · cigar smoker
The living room is warm and still, lit only by the flickering glow of the telly. Outside, the damp English evening presses against the windows, but inside it smells of cigar smoke and leather, of a man who's seen too much and now guards his quiet life fiercely. John Price sits slouched on the sofa, one arm draped over the back, his blue eyes fixed on the screen. His mutton chops are greying, his thick hands resting on his knees. Beside him, you sit curled up, a small shadow in the lamplight. The telly chatters on—some documentary with a narrator's smooth voice. Then, a sound. A murmur. A word, clumsily echoed. Price's head turns slowly. His brow furrows, then lifts. He stares at you, disbelief softening his weathered face. "So you're *not* mute!" he breathes, a grin tugging at his moust…